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About Irene Koehler

This blog post isn't about what happened. It's about the thing that happened next - after the first thing had happened. Confused? Hang in there; allow me to explain. This is important because there are critical lessons here for all of us using social media for business.

Ah, our Facebook friends. Some we can't live without and, well, then there are those other ones. It is the latter group that I'm focusing on today. We all know people like this, right?The chatty co-worker, the family member who can't keep a secret, that pretty girl you sat next to in junior high school. Wait a minute...if we all know people like this, is it possible that you might be one of those people, too?

Email. Whether we like it or not, it is part of our lives. We love it when it's easy and when others use it in a way that works for us. The rest of the time, we hate it. And when we hate it, we really hate it. Do you know an email sinner? Might you be committing some of these sins yourself? Here are a few email sins. Take a peek and see if any sound familiar.

To those of us who live and breathe social media every day, it is easy to forget that not everyone is as comfortable online as we are. In fact, many people have concerns about being too visible online and some don't want to be online, period. Yes, there are people who, by choice, do not have Facebook, Twitter or Google+ accounts. To my fellow social media aficionados, I realize this may come as a shock.

Social media is all the rage. All the cool kids are using it; at least, that's what the cool kids on the internet are telling us. The number of businesses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube is mind-boggling, but the real question is how many of them are using the tools wisely?

Today's post is written specifically for those responsible for managing a Group on Facebook. Facebook Groups don't get as much buzz as Facebook Profiles (soon to be known as Timelines) and Facebook Pages. Still, there are many wonderful uses for Groups. I belong to many, including some business, community or family related. Serving as an Admin of a Facebook Group can be incredibly easy or a huge time commitment, depending on the size of the group and how closely the group's content is moderated.

If you're a Facebook user, you've probably noticed a lot of changes, especially on the homepage where you see updates from your Facebook friends. What you may not have noticed are the significant updates in how you manage your privacy, along with other new features and changes. Facebook is a wonderful tool for connecting with family and friends, as well as your favorite brands and businesses. In order to get the most out of your time on Facebook and to use it safely, it is critical that you understand how it works and how you can customize your settings in a way that is comfortable for you.

While it may seem that David Bowie is referring to Facebook when he sings, "Ch, ch, ch, ch, changes.." I'm pretty sure he had something else in mind. Still, the lyrics do include "Turn and face the strain," which may be how you're feeling each time you visit the site.
The good new is that you're not alone. I've been inundated with questions like, "How do I...?" and "Where do I find...?" The even better news is that you're now invited to join me online to answer some of your questions.

I spend way too much time online, most of it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. While you may not spend the hours online as I do, admit it, you are online a lot. My question to you is a simple one:
How well do you really know your virtual connections?

Once you sign-up for Google+, the first order of business should be to build your profile. As with any social networking site, your profile is your home base. It's where you tell people what you'd like them to know about you. This is where you showcase the information you want to be publicly available when someone searches, or googles, you online.